


Secret Valentine

by Shadow_Wolfhawk



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Grelliam Week V-Day Event, M/M, special one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 10:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13716186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Wolfhawk/pseuds/Shadow_Wolfhawk
Summary: Grelle receives a series of gifts one Valentine's Day.  Who could they be from??





	Secret Valentine

**Fandom: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)**

**Character(s): Grelle Sutcliff, William T. Spears, Ronald Knox, Alan Humphries, Eric Slingby**

**Summary: for Grelliam Week Valentine’s Day**

 

 

 

It was Valentine’s Day – Grelle Sutcliff’s favorite day of the year.  The one where the town was decorated in his favorite color all day long.  Even the boring, bland white walls of the Grim Reaper Association were spotted with red and pink paper hearts and streamers, provided by the office staff, much to the annoyance of the management.  Grelle had decorated himself for the day as well.  He replaced the usual chain on his glasses with one consisting of red beads with hearts on the ends, rather than skulls.  The brown vest he normally wore was replaced by a red one and a red heart was clipped over the knot on his trademark bowtie.  The red Reaper grinned widely as he pranced through the halls up to the Collections department.  Along the way, he would stop to deliver red envelopes containing a greeting card with a heart-shaped chocolate wrapped in red foil taped to the front.  He did not give them everyone, only those he considered friends or to the handsome men that he flirted with regularly.  Some thanked him; others gave him an odd look; still others just rolled their eyes as he walked away, but still took the free piece of chocolate from the envelope before disposing of the rest in the trash.

Reaching the Collections office, he stopped off at every desk he passed to give his colleagues their cards as he made his way to William’s office.  Near the supervisor’s door, his colleagues, Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries were at their desks, speaking with Ronald Knox, who seemed rather upset.  

“Good morning, darlings!” the crimson one said.  “Ronald, whatever is the matter?”

Eric laughed, knowingly.  “It seems _someone_ rearranged the schedules late yesterday.  Poor Ron’s stuck out in the field this evening.”

“It’s Valentine’s Day!” Ronald complained.  “I had plans for tonight!”

“You should have thought of that last week,” Alan told him as he looked over his reports.  “You know William doesn’t like it when your pranks involve property damage.”

The junior Reaper groaned.  So he had misjudged the strength of the custom party-popper he had rigged-up in the filing cabinet – that could happen to _anyone_!  He looked at Grelle.  “Senior, can’t you do something?”

“You know he doesn’t listen to me, Ronald dear,” Grelle said.  He looked at Alan.  “You can’t talk to him and change his mind?  It’s already coming out of the boy’s paycheck.”

“If someone else had opened the drawer, I might say you could convince him to, but he doesn’t like loud bangs.  Especially when they go off right in his ear – for obvious reasons.”  He fixed Ronald with disappointed look.  He should have known better, really.

“He has a point, Ronald.”  The junior Reaper hung his head, pouting like a kicked puppy.  Grelle patted the boy’s shoulder.  He reached into the bag that he was carrying and pulled out a red box filled with Ronald’s favorite candy with a card attached to the lid.  The blond thanked him and headed back to his desk.  “Here’s one for you, too, boys.”

“Thanks, Red,” Eric said, immediately ripping his box open and picking through the chocolates.  Alan thanked Grelle and set his box aside for later.

The redhead looked at the closed door of William’s office.  “Is His Majesty in?” he asked.

Alan shook his head.  “No, he has a meeting with the Upper Management this morning.  He’s going to be out until this afternoon.”

Now it was Grelle’s turn to pout.  He had one last gift in his bag, a special one just for William.  Suddenly, a grin crossed his face.  “Perhaps I can just leave this in his office?”

“I didn’t see you do it,” Eric said around a mouthful of caramel.

Alan looked over at the door.  “I don’t think he locked it, but you may want to rethink that.  You know he hates it when you go in there.”

Grelle merely smiled his shark-like grin and waved off his concerns.  “He won’t mind at all.  Will only pretends to be annoyed with me.  Playing hard-to-get is his idea of foreplay.”

 Eric quirked an eyebrow.  “He must be pretty randy after ninety years of it.”  He ignored the death glare he was given and dove back into the box of chocolates.

Alan sighed.  “Anyway – you may want to wait until he gets back to give that to him.”

“I might be in the field by that point,” Grelle said.

“No, actually you won’t be.”

“Why?”

Alan bit his lip.  “He has you on desk duty for the day.”

“WHAT!?” the crimson one shrieked.  “He knows I hate desk work!”

“He also knows that you haven’t turned in your reports for the past week,” he replied, only mildly sympathetic.  “He decided to give Ronald your collections for the day to punish him, which gives you the day to finish your paperwork.”

Grelle’s cheeks puffed up in frustration and he cast an angry glance down at the box in his hands, now debating if he should give it or not.  Seeing William’s name scrawled across the envelope on top of the box, though, his eyes softened.  It was a special gift, just for his William.

He went over to the office and walked in.  Over at the desk, Grelle carefully placed the box in the middle of the blotter.  William would know who it was from right away, by its bright red color and tied with red ribbon with a red lip print on the tag.  Beside it, he set down a smaller, heart-shaped box containing a few pieces of chocolate.  He knew William hated Valentine’s Day, but hoped he would like the gift anyway.

He left the office and made his way to his own desk.  He could see the pile of folders stacked on his desk and he considered turning around and going back home.  What an awful way to spend Valentine’s Day… 

The crimson Reaper stared at the red gift bag sitting on his desk.   Curiously, he looked for a tag to see who it might have been from, before pushing the pink tissue paper aside and pulling out the contents.  His green eyes tripled in size at the gift he held in his hands – a fuzzy, red stuffed bear with a small black nose.  Two tiny, black devil horns sat on his head and on his back was a small, black satin cape from which hung a long tail tipped with an upside-down red heart.  Between his paws, he held plush pink heart.  Tucked behind the heart was a single red rose, carefully placed so that it looked like the bear was holding onto it, presenting the flower and the heart to the redhead.  He plucked the rose from the bear’s paws and smelled its lovely perfume, sighing dreamily.  He looked into the bag to see if there was anything else that might hint at the identity of the sender. 

Nothing.

“Hmm…”  He set the bag aside and looked around the office to see if anyone was watching.  No one who seemed to be his secret admirer looked in his direction.  He looked back at the little plush.  “Sooo ~ Who left you here?”  The two tiny black bead eyes stared at him silently, offering no answer.  He giggled.  “Well, you’re certainly an adorable little fellow.  Someone has good taste.”  He set the rose back in the bear’s paws and sat him on the desk in front of him.

~*~

William returned to Collections and made his way to his office, closing the door behind him.  Sitting down at his desk, he saw the two red boxes that were not there when he left.  _‘Sutcliff…’_   He sighed and cast an annoyed glance in the direction of the red Reaper.  He had warned him several times about entering his office when he was not there.  He shook his head and set the chocolate aside – he really did not understand the point of giving out so many chocolates.  He reached to move the other box aside as well.  Intrigued by how much heavier it was than he expected, he looked at it for a moment, trying to decide if he should open it.  A gift from Grelle Sutcliff on Valentine’s Day – it could have been anything.  He carefully pulled at the ribbon, undoing the neat little bow it had been tied into.  Lifting the lid, he peered inside and found it filled with soft foam padding.  _‘What in the world -?’_   He took out the top layer of the gray foam and saw something underneath it shimmering in the light.  He reached in and gently pulled out the item, which turned out to be a small crystal figure attached to a mahogany base with purple velvet cushion.  The figure itself looked like a star plucked straight from the night sky.  A small silver plate was attached to the base.  Engraved on it in a fancy, curled script was the message ‘ _Make a wish_ ’.

He stared at the gift, stunned.  It was a gorgeous piece and certainly more thoughtful than he would have expected from Grelle Sutcliff.

Setting it at the top of his desk, beside the pen holder, he looked out the window at the red head, who was hunched over his desk, filling out his reports.  He could feel the annoyance radiating off of the red Reaper and watched him for a while before starting on his own paperwork.

~*~

Grelle left the break room and walked back to his desk, a cup of coffee in hand.  His bubbly mood from earlier was gone as he had been buried under a mountain of paperwork all morning and he frowned, muttering curses under his breath.  Once he was seated at his desk, he felt someone approach and looked up.  There stood a young Reaper he was unfamiliar with, who looked rather nervous.

“Mister Grelle Sutcliff?” he asked

“What do you want?” Grelle snapped.

The young man raised his arm, handing him the red bag he was holding.  “I have a delivery for you.”

Grelle’s annoyance melted away as he took the gift bag.  “Who is this from?”

The boy looked at his clipboard and shrugged.  “I don’t know.  The sender didn’t leave a name.”  After getting Grelle’s signature, he left the office rather quickly.

“Hmm…”  He set the bag on the desk and looked at the little plush.  “Seems your friend has sent me another one.”  He reached into the bag and pulled out a small, heart-shaped box.  It appeared to be made from wood and was covered in red velvet.  When he opened the hinged lid, a soft, twinkling melody poured from within which he recognized as a fairly recent piece by the composer, Tchaikovsky titled “None but the Lonely Heart”.

As he listened, he noticed an engraving on the inside of the lid of two hearts linked together.

“Hnnn~ A romantic fellow, aren’t you?” he cooed.

He set the box on his desk beside the bear as he slowly swiveled his chair in time with the melody.  Eyes gently closed, he rested his chin in his hands as he drifted off into another romantic fantasy.  How long must he wait for his secret admirer to reveal himself?

“Sutcliff!” a familiar voice boomed behind him, causing him to jump and close the box.  He turned around, squealing happily.

“Will, darling~!”  He jumped to his feet and threw his arms around the supervisor.  Or rather, he _attempted_ to throw his arms around him, but the man stepped aside and left the redhead falling to floor with his arms full of air.  He jumped to his feet, pouting.  “That was rude.”

“Where are your completed reports, Sutcliff?” William asked, adjusting his glasses.

With a small huff, Grelle turned and retrieved the completed folders.  He smiled at the little plush and music box sitting next to the stack and handed the reports to the brunet.  Taking the pile of folders from the redhead, William’s eyes fell on the items.  He raised an eyebrow and looked at Grelle.

“What are _those_?” he asked.

The red Reaper giggled.  “My little helper for the day decided to serenade me.”

The brunet rolled his eyes.  “Aren’t you a little old for such toys?”

“What sort of _toys_ should I be playing with, Will?” Grelle grinned, wiggling his hips suggestively.

“Honestly, Sutcliff…”  A hint of pink touched the other’s cheeks and he adjusted his glasses again, to cover it up.

“Besides - you’re never too old for a stuffed animal, Will.”  He picked up the bear and hugged it tightly.  “Especially a cutie like this one~!”

William’s eyebrow twitched as he frowned.  “Just get back to work, Sutcliff.  I want the rest of your reports completed by six o’clock.  Or else, you’ll be working overtime.”

“But it’s Valentine’s Day!” Grelle whined, much like Ronald had earlier that morning. 

“Then I suggest you work quickly,” the supervisor replied.  He looked at the clock on the wall.  “You have three hours to get them finished.”

“I’ll never get them done that fast.”  Grelle looked at the stack remaining on his desk with a frown.  He pressed up against William’s side.  Hanging off of the other man’s arm, he pouted innocently.  “What if I were to keep working on them _until_ six o’clock, darling?  I’ve already gotten so many of them done.  Couldn’t I just finish the rest tomorrow?”  He ignored the twitching of the brunet’s eyebrow and laid his head on the taller man’s shoulder.  “Perhaps you and I could go out tonight, then?”

William shrugged the redhead off of him.  “I will admit that you’ve completed more of your reports than I had expected, so if you can finish half of your remaining reports today, I’ll let you leave on time tonight.”

Grelle showed-off his shark-like teeth in a huge grin.  “Oh, Will~!”

“What you do after that, will not involve me in any way.”

The redhead’s pout returned with a vengeance as the brunet walked away.  Clenching his fists, he stamped his foot and turned to sit back down at his desk.  “Cruel man…”  He folded his arms on the tabletop and rested his chin on them, with a disappointed sigh.  He wondered if William had opened his gift yet.  The brunet had not said one word about it. 

He stared at the two little black eyes in front of him as their owner offered him his little heart again.  Grelle felt a tiny smile creep across his lips and he opened the music box for another listen. 

It was around five o’clock when he looked up from his paperwork and found one of the girls from the front desk walking towards him.  She was carrying a box of candy and a bottle of wine, the label of which Grelle recognized immediately.

“This was left for you at the front desk, Mister Sutcliff,” she said.

Grelle accepted the gifts.  “Did you see who left them?”

She shook her head.  “No.  They were left with a note instructing us to bring it up to you at five o’clock.”

“Do you have the note?”  She nodded and handed it to him, before returning to her duties.  Unfortunately, it told him nothing.  It was written in clean, block print and was not signed.  “Who are you, mystery man?”

“What ‘mystery man’?”

Grelle jumped and turned around at William’s voice.  “Oh, hello darling~ You really shouldn’t sneak-up on a lady like that.  It’s terribly impolite.”

“I am not ‘ _sneaking’_ anywhere, Sutcliff.”

“So, what brings you back?” the crimson one giggled.  “Can’t get enough of me today, my love~?”

“I can assure you that I’ve had enough of your stupidity to last the remainder of my existence.”

“Why must you be so cruel?” Grelle pouted.

“Where did the wine come from?” the brunet asked, clearly disapproving of the presence of alcohol in the office.

Looking down at the bottle in question, the redhead shrugged.  “I don’t know.  One of the girls downstairs just dropped it off along the candy.  Apparently, I have a secret admirer.  He’s been sending me these gifts all day.”

“Is that so?”

Grelle smiled, flirtatiously.  “ _Jealous_ , Will~?”

William’s expression remained as blank as ever.  He merely reached out his hand in a silent command to hand over the bottle.  “You can reclaim this once you’ve finished for the night.”  He returned to his office without another word.

“Dullard…” the redhead grumbled.  _‘Why couldn’t he be my admirer?’_ he thought with a pout.

He turned back to his reports, determined to complete at least three more before clocking out.  His little Valentine sat watching him as he scribbled out his last report for the night just as the clock struck six.  The red Reaper gathered up the completed folders to take to William.  He picked up the plush and set him so he was sitting on top of the folders, facing out as Grelle walked to the supervisor’s office.  Most everyone had already left for the evening.  When he reached the office, William’s door was closed and a sign hung from the knob – “Meeting in Progress.  Please Knock.”

Grelle paused for a moment.  Who could William be meeting with at this hour?  His door should be open and he should be getting ready to head home by now.  For a brief moment, he felt a slight panic course through him accompanied by a twinge of jealousy.  What if William was having an intimate moment with someone.  Office flings were not his style, but what if…  It was Valentine’s Day…  No!  William would not do that to him.  But still – he did seem awfully jealous before.  Could he be trying to get back at him?  He listened at the door, trying to hear the voices within.  He recognized his Will’s voice immediately.  The other voice was also male and sounded familiar, although Grelle could not quite place it.  They seemed to be speaking quite normally.  He knocked, cautiously.

“Come in,” called that sexy voice he loved so much.

He entered the office, closing the door behind him and found William seated at his desk.  Another, older Reaper sat across from him.  Grelle recognized him as a member of the Upper Management – a plain, boring, nondescript man, but nowhere near as handsome as his Will.  The two looked up at him as he entered.  Seeing the folders in his hands, William motioned him to wait and a stern (but sexy) glare warned him to keep quiet.

The manager turned back to William, handing him a manila folder.  “As I was saying -  these changes will be implemented at the beginning of next week.  You’ll inform your staff of it at tomorrow’s meeting?”

“Of course.”  ‘ _Hnnn…’_   Such a commanding man, even when speaking two words to a superior.

“I’ll leave you to it, then.”  The man glanced back at Grelle as he stood up and the redhead got the faint impression that _he_ was the _it_ being referred to.  His lips puckered in frustration as the man turned his back and shook hands with William.  He walked past Grelle without sparing him another look and made his way to the elevators.  The red Reaper closed the door behind him and turned back to William, who was now standing and packing his papers away in his briefcase.

“I trust those are completed reports, Sutcliff?” he asked, not looking up from his task.

The redhead nodded.  “There are a few left, but you said I could finish them tomorrow.”

“I remember what I said, Grelle,” William replied.  “I’ll look those over in the morning.  Just set them on my desk.” 

Grelle did just that and noticed a new addition on the desk, smiling widely.  “I see you got my gift,” he said.  “Do you like it?”

William paused in putting away his files and looked at the redhead.  He glanced down at the crystal figure, adjusting his glasses as he did so.  “It was hardly necessary, Sutcliff, but yes.  Thank you.”

That was as emotional a response as he was ever going to get out of the brunet, so he savored it to the fullest.  He saw William’s eyes fall on the plush toy and smiled.  “He’s adorable, isn’t he?” he asked, hugging the little bear.

The other merely grunted, as he packed the remainder of his belongings in the briefcase.  He turned and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk, from which he removed the wine bottle he had confiscated earlier.  He placed the bottle on the table in front of Grelle.

“You may have that back, now,” he said.  “Do take it home.”

The crimson one smiled, leaning against the desk, seductively.  “Don’t you want to share a glass with me, Will~?”

“Go home, Sutcliff,” William sighed, locking his briefcase.  “Before I change my mind and have you finish those reports tonight.”

Grelle pouted, but left the office with his gifts and returned to his desk to gather his belongings. 

~*~

The red Reaper sighed miserably as he approached the door of his apartment.  William had turned him down yet again.  At least he seemed to really like his present, so that was something.  He looked down at the armful of gifts his secret admirer had left for him.  He hoped he would find out soon who this mystery man was.  The fact that he knew what Grelle’s favorite wine was, hinted that he knew him rather well.  Of course, he could have found out from someone like Ronald, too. 

Turning the key in the lock, he opened his door and stepped in.  Immediately, he heard a soft crinkling sound as his foot slid a little on the carpet.  He looked down and found a red envelope under his boot.

“Oh, you must be kidding…”  This was getting a little weird now.  He picked up the envelope and closed the door, carrying everything to his bedroom.  He sat down on the red coverlet and opened the letter.  “Typed… clever boy…”

 

                _‘My dear Miss Sutcliff,_

_I hope you have not found my little gifts to you today to be at all intrusive.  I do apologize for taking the liberty in coming to your home without your knowledge to leave you this final gift.  I’ve been unsure about how to approach you and felt concealing my identity would be the best way to avoid potential embarrassment on both our parts._

_I would like to invite you to dinner tonight.  If you would do me the honor of accepting, I have made a reservation for the two of us at the Rules restaurant at Covent Garden for 8:30pm.  Simply present the enclosed card to the service and they will escort you to the private dining room I’ve requested._

_Should you not wish to join me, I will certainly understand and I ask that you at least keep my little gifts as small tokens of my affection.  You have my word of honor that I shall not trouble you again after today, if that is your desire._

_I remain, my lady,_

_Your Obedient Servant_

 

Grelle felt his lower jaw hit his lap.  No one had ever spoken to him like this before – at least not without joking around.  For moment, he considered refusing the invitation, wondering if this could all be some cruel prank.  As he read the letter over again, he began to change his mind.  The author did seem genuine.  He considered the earlier gifts – the music box was a fine quality and the mark stamped on it showed it came from a high-end store.  As to the wine – Grelle knew full well that a single bottle would cost him a week’s pay.  This man had already spent a considerable amount and was now offering to treat him to dinner at a fine restaurant.  If this was a prank, it was a damn expensive one.  Besides, one way or another, he had to find out who this person was.

Having made up his mind, he went to his wardrobe and selected his favorite gown – a simple red, off-the-shoulder one, that hugged his waist just so with a low-cut back.  Despite what many thought of him and his flashy persona, his taste in dresses was simple.  His hated all of those ridiculous frills and petticoats that defined women’s fashions.  He freshened up quickly and fixed his hair into a high bun, curling the red strands that fell loose of the pins.  A touch-up to his make-up and he was ready.  A simple silver necklace and red wrap of faux fur completed his look for the evening.  Checking the clock, he would have just enough time to get to the restaurant.  He placed the card in his red clutch and headed for London.

Covent Garden was alive with activity as always.  It was nice to be a part of the frenzy for once as opposed to watching it from the rooftops and alleyways.

When he reached the venue, the doorman reached out and held the door open for him.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was warm and inviting.  Established at the end of the last century, it still possessed some of its original, rustic charm.  And Grelle absolutely loved all of the red décor.  The host greeted him, warmly.

“Good evening, my lady,” he said.  “Are you meeting someone this evening?”

“Yes, I believe there is a reservation.”  He reached into his clutch and withdrew the card, handing it to the man.  “I was told to give this to you.”

“Ah, yes – you’re here for _that_ reservation,” the man said, reading the card.  “We’ve been expecting you.  This way, please.” 

So far so good.  At least the man seemed to know what he was talking about, so the reservation was the real thing.  He was led to a private dining room at the back of the venue, where a small oval-shaped, mahogany table had been set for two.  A gorgeous centerpiece of bright red roses mixed with small white buds and greens filled the center of the white tablecloth.  The gas lamps were dimmed and the silver place settings sparkled in the flickering light of the two white candles.  No one else was in the room, which gave Grelle pause.

“Am I the first?” he asked.

“Your companion arrived a short time ago to see to the preparations,” the man said.  “Seeing as you had not yet arrived, he said he was going to step out for a breath of air.  Seemed a bit nervous, if you ask me.  He said he should be back directly.”  He pulled a chair out for Grelle and pushed him in as he sat down.  “I’ll send your server in, momentarily.”

“Thank you.”

As he was left alone, Grelle began to feel his doubts returning.  What if this was all a cruel joke after all?  What if the man had planned to leave him here alone and let him foot the bill for the use of the room?  Oh, if this man intended to make a fool out of Grelle Sutcliff, he had another thing coming!  He did not care if he faced suspension again, his lovely Scythe would taste blood before the night was out.

All thoughts suddenly disappeared from his mind as a long-stemmed rose entered his field of vision.

“I was wondering if you were going to come.”

Grelle’s green eyes snapped up to meet a matching pair behind familiar rectangular frames.  “W-Will?”

William chuckled at the expression on the red Reaper’s face.  “Is it possible that I’ve actually rendered you speechless, Sutcliff?”

The redhead’s mouth moved as he tried to formulate a sentence.  “Y-you were… It was _you_ the whole time?”

The brunet blushed a bit.  “I’m afraid so.  I’m sorry if your ‘mystery man’ isn’t quite what you were expecting.”

“He’s _better_ than I was expecting!” Grelle squealed, jumping up to throw his arms around William’s neck.  He felt William’s tense shoulders slacken, clearly relieved that his little plan was successful.  “Who knew you were such a romantic?”

Grelle released the supervisor from his hold and accepted the offered flower, sniffing daintily at its perfume.  The brunet helped him back to his seat, kissing his hand before taking his own chair on the opposite side of the table.

“I’m glad you accepted my invitation,” William said.  “I confess that I was afraid that you wouldn’t.”

Now it was Grelle’s turn to blush.  “I’m just glad that you were actually here.  I’m afraid that I had my doubts about this, that it might have all been some terrible prank.  No one had ever treated me this way before.  I was afraid that I had been right when no one was here when I arrived.”

The elder Reaper cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed by his lack of form.  “I do apologize for that, Grelle.  As I had said, I wasn’t sure if you come.  I’m afraid I let my nerves get the better of me and I just stepped out to clear my head.”

“That’s alright, darling~” Grelle lightly chuckled.  “The important thing is that you came _back_.”

William smiled with relief just as the server entered the room.

~*~

“You didn’t have to walk me home, Will,” the redhead smiled as they reached his apartment.

“I couldn’t very well call myself a gentleman if I didn’t see the lady safely to her door, now could I?”

Opening the door, Grelle turned to him and asked, “Would you like to come in?  Perhaps join me for that glass of wine I offered you earlier.”

William hesitated a moment.  They both had to be at work in the morning, but surely one little glass of wine would not hurt…  “Alright.”

He followed Grelle inside the apartment.  He was not shocked by the amount of red he saw around the room.  Only the walls and fixtures were devoid of color.  Even the carpet, though beige itself, held a scattering of red area rugs.  The brunet was sure that, if allowed to, Grelle would have had the whole apartment done over in his trademark hue.  It was not a very large apartment and appeared to have only one bedroom, but it was certainly a comfortable size for a single person.  The redhead disappeared into the bedroom and returned shortly after with the wine bottle.  A small wine cabinet sat against the wall by the door and from this he retrieved two wine glasses and met William over at the kitchen counter.  The bottle opener was lying on the counter, clearly having been used fairly recently, and the brunet picked it up to uncork the wine.  He filled each glass about half-way and handed one to Grelle, setting the bottle back onto the counter.

“So, can I ask you something?” the red Reaper asked, taking a sip.

“What’s that?”

“If you sent me the wine, why did you take it away from me earlier?” the crimson one giggled.

William blushed again and took a sip of his wine.  “I hadn’t intended to do that,” he explained, “but I wasn’t expecting Brighton to show up in the office.  I didn’t want you to get into trouble for it, so I had no choice but to ‘confiscate’ it until your shift was over.”

“Hmph,” Grelle said, through another sip.  “Managers take all the fun out office romance.  No offense, darling~.”

“About that,” the brunet said, resuming his usual business voice.

“Uh-oh…” Grelle did not like the sound of that.

“I need you to understand – this will not be an _office_ romance.  If we are to continue down this road, nothing can change between us at work.  As a manager, I can’t afford to have it look as though I’m showing favoritism towards you.  That could get us both into trouble – especially with some of the new regulations they’re going to be starting soon.”

Grelle pouted and looked away.  “But I want others to know about us.  Are you ashamed of me, Will?”

“Not in the slightest,” William replied, firmly, turning the redhead back to face him.  “Yes, I’ve had my issues with you in the past.  Death knows, you’ve turned the whole department upside-down on more than one occasion.  And you certainly need to put a better effort into getting your work completed on time.”  He took Grelle’s glass and set it on the counter with his, before pulling the crimson Reaper into his arms.  “Do you frustrate me to no end?  Yes.  Have I questioned my sanity in putting up with your constant flirtations and lewd antics?  Every bloody day since I met you.  Have I been disappointed in you?  I think we both recall a certain fellow by the name of ‘Jack’ very clearly.”  Grelle flinched at the mention.  “But have I ever once been ashamed of knowing you or ashamed of the feelings I’ve developed for you?  Never.”  Grelle wiped his teary eyes against the brunet’s jacket.  “This is only to protect you.  Let’s give this a little time first, to prove that our work isn’t going to be affected by our new relationship.  Then, if you wish, we can start letting people know about us.  Agreed?”

Grelle nodded and looked up at his Reaper with a soft smile.  “Agreed.”  He reached up to play with a lock of brown hair.  “Of course, you know what’s best, darling~.”

William placed his fingers under Grelle’s chin and gently tilted the smaller Reaper’s face up to look at him.  For a moment, he was silent and did not move.  He only stared at Grelle, as though trying to memorize every last detail.  The brunet then reached up and slowly removed the rectangular frames from their proper place and bent his head down to meet Grelle’s.  The crimson one held his breath as the elder Reaper’s lips touched his.  When he did not respond, William began to pull away.  This shook Grelle out of his haze and he wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck, pulling him back down to reconnect the kiss. 

“I love you,” he murmured as they broke the kiss.  He snuggled against William’s chest with a contented sigh.

He felt the brunet’s small smile as he pecked kissed across the crimson one’s cheek and neck.  “Give me time to process this before I start making declarations, hmm?”

“Hnnn…  Take all the time you need, darling~…”  He wiggled his hips against William’s with a small giggle.

“What am I going to do with you, Sutcliff?” the brunet asked as he replaced his glasses.

“I can think of a few things~,” Grelle teased, pulling away with a playful Cheshire grin.  He turned and sauntered back to his room, letting his hair fall around him.  He looked, coyly, over his shoulder at his Reaper as he began to let the red garments fall to the floor.  “Coming, darling~?”

William swallowed, nervously.  He glanced quickly at the counter and grabbed the bottle before following his wild redhead to the bedroom.

 

_**~ END ~** _

 

**That's it!  Hope y'all enjoyed ^_^  Thank you for reading!**


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